Thank Your for Joining Us!

SFI held our Annual Conference - Forests. A Way of Life - September 27-29, 2017 in Ottawa. It was the largest ever, with hundreds of attendees. SFI's diverse network was represented during three days of meetings. Presentations covered topics critical to the future of our forests, including:

The Power of Community Partnerships

Boreal Watersheds and Wildlife Conservation

Progressive Aboriginal Relations

Driving Innovation in Canadian Forestry

Connecting Youth to Forests

Species at Risk

Provincial Perspectives

Conservation of Managed Forest Landscapes

Fiber Sourcing

Global Policies and Markets

Sustainable Building

We were proud to be in Canada for its 150th Birthday. SFI held a joint session with the Canadian Institute of Forestry that brought more than 500 people together. Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, joined us to discuss the importance of the Canadian forest sector, and told the audience: "there is no global solution to climate change without the forest sector."

It was a truly Canadian celebration, including showing respect for Canada's Indigenous peoples. We were privileged to be welcomed by Elder Claudette Commanda to unceded land belonging to the Algonquin Nation.

This was the first conference since Project Learning Tree became an SFI program and the synergies between youth education, sustainable supply chains, and conservation of working forests continue to strengthen.

The conference had multiple examples of innovation in the forest sector - from cross-laminated timber to new measurement tools in conservation, to discussions on maximizing opportunities in the bio-economy. Conservationists and government officials played a key role and their voices were represented on topics such as caribou, biodiversity, birds, and forest health.

In addition to representation from across Canada including the Assistant Deputy Ministers and other provincial officials from British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, we had a wide range of speakers from leading international and conservation organizations. These speakers represented the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP). Leaders from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, World Resources Institute (WRI), and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) also joined the program.

In 2018, join us for our Annual Conference in Colorado, and please plan to bring a customer or friend! In the meantime, please let us know your thoughts about this year's event, so we can continually improve and build value for our attendees.

Highlights from Past SFI Annual Conferences

Watch the highlights from past SFI Annual Conferences held in Clearwater Beach, Florida, Olympic Valley, California, Montreal, Quebec and San Antonio, Texas – key speaker take-aways, awards ceremony, conference participants, exhibitor booths, and all the fun that was had by all.